Hans Christensen
Biographic Data
| ID | 1315601 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Hans Christensen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Hans |
| FAMILY NAME | Christensen |
| SIGNATURE | CHRISTENSEN H |
| AFFILIATIONS | Black Dog Institute |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-0435-2065 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 56 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 22 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 56 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Multilevel risk and protective factors for self‐harm, suicidal ideation and suicide attempt in adolescents
BACKGROUND: Better characterising risk and protective factors for suicidal distress and self-harm in adolescents may facilitate better targeting of interventions that address underlying vulnerabilities. However, few previous longitudinal studies have: (1) sufficient power to identify key risk and protective factors, (2) limited representativeness to the community and (3) accounted for multilevel factors (individual, family, community). This study…
You don’t have to solve everything”
Arts-based film can provide an effective medium for teaching evidence-based suicide prevention strategies to informal supporters, particularly young people supporting peers
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Adolescent Mental Health Symptoms
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are associated with poor mental health. Evidence suggests that positive peer interactions may buffer these effects, while negative peer interactions may exacerbate this relationship. This longitudinal study assessed Australia adolescents in Year 8 at baseline ( N = 4074, mean age 13.89 years) who reported ACEs, internalising and externalising symptoms, and peer interactions (positive and negative) between Augu…
Young Australian Women’s Views on Peer Support for Self-Harm
Self-harm among young women has been rising internationally and in Australia, yet many are not in contact with formal services. Peer support may play an important role in managing self-harm; however, it remains under-investigated. This qualitative study explored how young Australian women perceive peer support for managing self-harm. Using purposive sampling, twenty-seven women ( M = 20.9, SD = 2.1) with lived or living experiences of self-harm p…
Perspectives from Young Australian Women with Lived Experience on Why Rates of Self-Harm Are Increasing
Rates of self-harm in Australian young people have increased significantly in recent years, especially in young women. Self-harm has been associated with several risk factors, including a history of abuse, bullying, mood and personality disorders, social isolation and suicidal ideation. However, little is known about why rates have increased in the past decade, and the voices of young Australian women have been conspicuously absent from the resea…
How Do Young Women Perceive Adult Responses to the Disclosure of Their Self-Harm and What Is the Impact of That Perception
Rates of self-harm amongst young women are rising. However, only half of individuals disclose self-harm, and when they do, they may be met with responses that can be harmful or helpful to recovery. The aim of the current study is to understand how young women perceive adult (e.g., parents, health professionals) responses to their self-harm disclosures, and the impact these responses have on them. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with you…
Exploring Support Preferences for Young Women Who Self-Harm
Rates of self-harm among young women have been increasing in recent years across multiple high-income nations. Given the negative outcomes associated with self-harm, it is essential that young women who engage in self-harm receive the support that best addresses their specific needs. The aim of the current study is to explore support preferences among Australian young women with a history of self-harm. Semi-structured interviews were conducted wi…
Implementing digital interventions for co-occurring mental health and alcohol and other drug use problems in health and community settings
Mental health and alcohol and other drug use problems consistently dominate the top causes of disease burden in Australians. eHealth stands to be a key tool in addressing these issues but is not routinely well-integrated into service provision models. This study will evaluate the uptake of the digital ecosystem and website, eCliPSE [electronic Clinical Pathways to Service Excellence], developed to improve the symptoms of mental health and alcohol…
Self-Reported Concerns among Australian Secondary School Students
Suicidal Emotions, Motivations and Rationales in Australian Men
Suicide has a devasting and far-reaching effect on our communities. In developed countries, most people who die by suicide are male. Understanding men's mental health and what they experience in a suicidal state is key to preventing future attempts. Our paper explores how a group of 37 men in Australia describe the leadup to their suicidality. Underpinned by interpretive phenomenological analysis, interview transcripts were examined for phrases t…
Passive sensing data predicts stress in university students
Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR), identifier ACTRN12621001223820
The effects of a sleep‐focused smartphone application on insomnia and depressive symptoms
BACKGROUND: Rates of depression are increasing among adolescents. A novel way to reduce depression is by improving sleep. We evaluated whether an app-based intervention for insomnia improved sleep and depression, and whether changes in insomnia mediated changes in depression. METHODS: We conducted a 2-arm single-blind randomised controlled trial at the Black Dog Institute in Australia. Adolescents 12-16 years experiencing insomnia symptoms were r…
Understanding Protective Factors for Men at Risk of Suicide Using the CHIME Framework
Suicide is a global problem, ranking among the leading causes of death in many countries across the world. Most people who die by suicide are "under the radar", having never seen a mental health professional or been diagnosed with a mental illness. This article describes the protective factors for men experiencing suicidal thoughts, plans, and/or attempts who are "under the radar". Using in-depth qualitative interviews, we aimed to understand sta…
Tragedies, Fates, Furies and Fuels
Suicide is the leading cause of death for Australians aged 15 to 44, with fifty to sixty per cent of individuals who die by suicide 'flying under the radar', dying in this way without receiving formal mental health care or treatment. This paper explores how people bereaved by suicide interpret and narrate the lead-up to, act and aftermath of a male family member who died by suicide. We used qualitative semi-structured interviews to explore how na…
Idtwo
People with intellectual disability (ID) experience higher rates of mental illness and reduced access to appropriate care and treatment. Tailored electronic mental health (eMH) programs offer opportunities to address these disparities. The aim of this study is to examine whether a fully automated and self-guided eMH program tailored to the needs of people with ID can reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve daily functioning in peopl…
Suicide risk and prevention during the Covid-19 pandemic
Acute mental health responses during the Covid-19 pandemic in Australia
The acute and long-term mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are unknown. The current study examined the acute mental health responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in 5070 adult participants in Australia, using an online survey administered during the peak of the outbreak in Australia (27th March to 7th April 2020). Self-report questionnaires examined COVID-19 fears and behavioural responses to COVID-19, as well as the severity of psycholog…
Multidisciplinary research priorities for the Covid-19 pandemic
The Utility of a Mental Health App in Apprentice Workers
Background: Young people are at heightened risk for mental health problems. Apprenticeships are common pathways into the workforce at a critical developmental period. However, in some cases the working conditions for apprentices present significant challenges to mental wellness. As apprentices are unlikely to utilise traditional services, eHealth and mHealth interventions are a useful means of delivering interventions to this group. The aim of th…
A randomised controlled trial of a relationship‐focussed mobile phone application for improving adolescents’ mental health
BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the acceptability and effectiveness of a relationship-focussed mobile phone application (WeClick) for improving depressive symptoms and other mental health outcomes in adolescents. METHODS: A randomised controlled trial involving 193 youth (M age: 14.82, SD: 0.94, 86.5% female) from Australia was conducted. Youth were recruited via the Internet and randomly allocated to the intervention or a 4-week wait list contr…
Workplace Bullying and Suicidal Ideation
Workplace bullying adversely affects mental health, yet little is known about the outcomes for suicidal ideation. The current study used Australian population-based data to investigate the association between workplace bullying and suicidal ideation. The sample included 1488 employed participants aged 52-58 from wave 4 of the Personality and Total Health (PATH) Through Life Study. Workplace bullying was measured in two ways: (a) a single item ask…
A Pilot Evaluation of a Smartphone Application for Workplace Depression
Interventions delivered via mobile apps show particular promise in tackling the burden of common mental disorders. Appropriately targeting these interventions to at-risk populations is critical to their success. This pilot study aimed to assess the usability, feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of an app-based intervention designed to target depressive symptoms in a stressed working population. Anchored, a smartphone app including…
Edge of the Present
Depression and suicidality are characterized by negative imagery as well as impoverished positive imagery. Although some evidence exists supporting the link between positive imagery and enhanced mood, much work needs to be done. This study explored the impact of an immersive virtual reality experience (Edge of the Present-EOTP) on an individual's mood, state of well-being, and future thinking. Using a 10-min mixed reality experience, 79 individua…
Smooth Sailing
Background : Schools play an important role in supporting young people's mental health, but face challenges identifying and responding to students in need of care. To assist secondary schools, the Black Dog Institute has developed an online, school-based, mental health service (Smooth Sailing). Delivered in the classroom, Smooth Sailing uses a website to screen, assess, allocate, and deliver care for depression and anxiety. The service is based o…
Implementation and cost effectiveness evaluation of an integrated mental health stepped care service for adults in primary care
The International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC) is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles in the field of integrated care on a continuous basis.IJIC has an Impact Factor of 5.120 (2020 JCR, received in June 2021)
Health, cognitive, and psychosocial factors as predictors of mortality in an elderly community sample
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine whether cognitive and psychosocial factors predict mortality once physical health is controlled. DESIGN: A prospective study of community dwelling elderly. Mortality was assessed over a period of 3-4 years after the baseline assessment of predictors. The data were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model. SETTING: Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 897 people aged 70 or over and livi…
Men, depression, and coping
Temporal effects of separation on suicidal thoughts and behaviours
“Mental health literacy”
OBJECTIVES: To assess the public's recognition of mental disorders and their beliefs about the effectiveness of various treatments ("mental health literacy"). DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey, in 1995, with structured interviews using vignettes of a person with either depression or schizophrenia. PARTICIPANTS: A representative national sample of 2031 individuals aged 18-74 years; 1010 participants were questioned about the depression vignette and…
A short form of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule
Health, cognitive, and psychosocial factors as predictors of mortality in an elderly community sample
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To examine whether cognitive and psychosocial factors predict mortality once physical health is controlled. DESIGN: A prospective study of community dwelling elderly. Mortality was assessed over a period of 3-4 years after the baseline assessment of predictors. The data were analysed using the Cox proportional hazards model. SETTING: Canberra and Queanbeyan, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: A sample of 897 people aged 70 or over and livi…
Sexual orientation and mental health
BACKGROUND: Community surveys have reported a higher rate of mental health problems in combined groups of homosexual and bisexual participants, but have not separated these two groups. AIMS: To assess separately the mental health of homosexual and bisexual groups compared with heterosexuals. METHOD: A community survey of 4824 adults was carried out in Canberra, Australia. Measures covered anxiety, depression, suicidality, alcohol misuse, positive…
Predictors of refusal to participate
Longitudinal studies of the elderly may over estimate cognitive performance because of the greater refusal rate of those with poorer performance. However, there is no evidence of bias with respect to anxiety or depression
Effect of web-based depression literacy and cognitive–behavioural therapy interventions on stigmatising attitudes to depression
BACKGROUND: Little is known about the efficacy of educational interventions for reducing the stigma associated with depression. AIMS: To investigate the effects on stigma of two internet depression sites. METHOD: A sample of 525 individuals with elevated scores on a depression assessment scale were randomly allocated to a depression information website (BluePages), a cognitive-behavioural skills training website (MoodGYM) or an attention control …
Gender differences in factors affecting use of health services
The impact of employee level and work stress on mental health and GP service use
Measures of work stress and not employee level affect the mental health and well-being of government employees. For governments with responsibility for funding health care services, reducing work stress experienced by their own employees offers potential benefits by improving the health of their workforce and reducing outlays for such services
Stigma in response to mental disorders
Stigma about Depression and its Impact on Help-Seeking Intentions
Objective: Research has shown that people are reluctant to seek professional help for depression, especially from mental health professionals. This may be because of the impact of stigma which can involve people's own responses to depression and help-seeking (self stigma) as well as their perceptions of others' negative responses (perceived stigma). The aim of this article was to examine community help-seeking intentions and stigmatizing beliefs …
Predictors of depression stigma
BACKGROUND: To investigate and compare the predictors of personal and perceived stigma associated with depression. METHOD: Three samples were surveyed to investigate the predictors: a national sample of 1,001 Australian adults; a local community sample of 5,572 residents of the Australian Capital Territory and Queanbeyan aged 18 to 50 years; and a psychologically distressed subset (n = 487) of the latter sample. Personal and Perceived Stigma were…
Age differences in mental health literacy
Differences in mental health literacy across the adult lifespan suggest that more specific, age appropriate messages about mental health are required for younger and older age groups. The tendency for young adults to 'over-identify' depression signals the need for awareness campaigns to focus on differentiation between mental disorders
Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Life Events as Antecedents of Depressive Symptoms in Middle and Early-Old Age
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cardiovascular risk factors (CVRF) and life events (LE) as predictors of depressive symptoms in a mid-life and an early late-life cohort to determine whether they had independent or interacting effects, and whether there were age differences in the effects. METHODS: Cohorts aged 40 to 44 years (n = 2530) and 60 to 64 years (n = 2551) at baseline (Wave 1) were followed up after 4 years (Wave 2) as part of the PATH Through Li…
Mental health literacy as a function of remoteness of residence
Mental health awareness campaigns in rural and remote regions may be most appropriately focused on communicating which interventions are effective for depression and schizophrenia and which mental health and other professionals are trained in the best-practice delivery and management of these. There is also a need to communicate to rural residents that alcohol and pain relievers are not an effective solution for depression
Exploring the nature of stigmatising beliefs about depression and help-seeking
Findings indicate that interventions to reduce the stigma of depression should target attributions of blame; reduce avoidance of depressed people; label depression as a 'health condition' rather than 'mental illness'; and improve responses of help-sources (i.e. via informing professionals of client fears)
Barriers and facilitators to mental health help-seeking for young elite athletes
BACKGROUND: Adolescents and young adults experience a high level of mental disorders, yet tend not to seek help. Research indicates that there are many barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for young people in the general community. However there are limited data available for young elite athletes. This study aims to determine what young elite athletes perceive as the barriers and facilitators to help-seeking for common mental health problems…
The Stigma of Suicide Scale
Background: There are presently no validated scales to adequately measure the stigma of suicide in the community. The Stigma of Suicide Scale (SOSS) is a new scale containing 58 descriptors of a “typical” person who completes suicide. Aims: To validate the SOSS as a tool for assessing stigma toward suicide, to examine the scale’s factor structure, and to assess correlates of stigmatizing attitudes. Method: In March 2010, 676 staff and students at…
Correlates of Suicide Stigma and Suicide Literacy in the Community
Public knowledge and attitudes toward suicide may influence help‐seeking for suicidality. This study aimed to identify correlates of suicide attitudes and knowledge. Australian adults were invited to complete an online survey, with 1,286 responders. Less exposure to suicide, older age, male gender, less education, and culturally diverse backgrounds were associated with poorer knowledge; while younger age, male gender, and culturally diverse backg…
The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale ( Sidas )
While suicide prevention efforts are increasingly being delivered using technology, no scales have been developed specifically for web‐based use. The Suicidal Ideation Attributes Scale ( SIDAS ) was developed and validated as a brief, web‐based measure for severity of suicidal ideation, using an online survey of Australian adults ( n = 1,352). The SIDAS demonstrated high internal consistency and good convergent validity. Frequency and controllabi…
Australian mental health consumers’ priorities for research
Background There is growing acceptance of the importance of the consumer viewpoint in mental health research. Previous studies have identified differences in research priorities between researchers and mental health consumers in Australia defined broadly. However, little is known about the research priorities of consumers with specific mental health conditions. Objective The aim of this study was to explore Australian mental health consumers’ pri…
Gender-differences in risk factors for suicidal behaviour identified by perceived burdensomeness, thwarted belongingness and acquired capability
Men and women differ in the pattern of psychological characteristics that predict suicide ideation, and in the factors predicting vulnerability. Suicide prevention strategies need to take account of gender differences
EHealth integrated interventions for MH
Australia is an innovator in the development of e health interventions for mental health conditions, such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, suicide risk, and comorbidity with drug and alcohol problems. E mental health is cost effecitve, able to be delivered into a range of settings, including health, education and community contexts, works for mild to moderate as well as more severe mental health conditions. Importantly, e health solutions are likely…
Temporal effects of separation on suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Non-fatal self-poisoning in Sri Lanka
Development of interpersonal skills and interpersonal problem solving skills, particularly in adolescents and young people, emerges as a key primary preventive strategy. Further, there is value in exploring and helping people to develop more adaptive strategies to cope with emotional distress associated with interpersonal conflict. While distress tolerance and interpersonal skill training strategies used in the West may be considered, it is also …
Positive strategies men regularly use to prevent and manage depression
The results demonstrate that the men in the study currently use, and are open to using, a broad range of practical, social, emotional, cognitive and problem-solving strategies to maintain their mental health. This is significant for men in the community who may not be in contact with professional health services and would benefit from health messages promoting positive strategies as effective tools in the prevention and management of depression
Psychology (44 works) · Psychiatry (40 works) · Medicine (39 works) · Mental health (37 works) · Clinical Psychology (30 works) · Mental Health Treatment and Access (19 works) · Psychological intervention (19 works) · Poison control (17 works) · Suicide and Self-Harm Studies (17 works) · Suicide prevention (17 works)